Straining to poo, help please

[casportpony]

Water is the key to restoring good bowel function in mammals, not sure about birds, I would give her nothing but chick crumbles mixed with water, the wetter, the better.

 

[Michael Apple]

hi there
yes that is the exact product I use and I love it! what you can give her until it comes is PLAIN yogart with LIVE ACTIVE cultures inside. make SURE it has live cultures. I really hope she has a chance to make it. if we can balance her system with benifical bacteria I pray she has a chance! it really depends if she can pass the blockage or not I will be honest. but this is her best chance at getting her little system back to normal. I will pray for her. please keep me posted on her condition. I know time is of essence and that's what I'm worried about. let's stay positive and pray for the best. I know the probotics will really help her. my chick when she was little had pasty butt and her vent was blocked. I cleared the blockage and got the probios and she did very well. never got it again. I still give the probios to my flock. it really helps .so I do have good hope for her. I do pray she heals and is able to poo. all we can do is try and wait and see. I'm praying this does the trick! so stay positive and give her some yogurt with live cultures and let's see how she does. God bless you and good luck.

Yogurt is NOT to be given to chicks and here's why. The calcium content in starter feed is a low precentage for a reason. It supplies enough but not too much. Feeding diets that contain 2.5 % calcium can cause nephrosis, visceral gout, calcium urate deposits in the ureters, kidney damage, Rickets, and high mortality. At the earliest, around 4.5 to 5 months of age should layer pullets be given extra calcium in their diet to improve productivity. I strongly suggest you, and others promoting such additions to chick diets, do some research on mineral and vitamin imbalances. With the amount of misinformation being pushed by people who don't know what they are talking about, it is up to each person to refer to reputable manuals such as Merck or University studies. Look up Feeding Poultry by G.F. Heuser written back in 1955. There's common sense, and then there's nonsense.

This bird needs to be hydrated! Vitamins-electrolytes in the water for 2-3 days. If you want to get beneficial micro-flora back in the intestines, use probiotics ONLY. I recommend Probios soluble powder. Any feed store worth a pinch should carry it.

 

[speedyfuzzball]

Ah, I see, thanks for the info. I just ordered probios so it should be here by Thursday and I'll just eat the yogurt myself lol. Is there an easy way to coax her to drink more?

 

[Michael Apple]

Ah, I see, thanks for the info. I just ordered probios so it should be here by Thursday and I'll just eat the yogurt myself lol. Is there an easy way to coax her to drink more?

You're welcome. If you are moistening feed, the bird may drink less. The proof will be in the droppings. Here's some info on diet, not only relative to chicks , but adults which you'll find helpful for the future:
http://www.poultrynews.com/New/Diseases/Merks/207003.htm

 

[Haunted55]

No. Do not put molasses in the water every day. If you use molasses as a laxative, the dose should be 1.5 oz per quart and don't let the bird drink for more than 4 hours from it. Replace with normal water after 4 hours and you should see laxative action in an hour. Once the bird starts relieving itself, you can then use Probiotics in the water. I do not suggest yogurt for chicks since the added calcium is destructive to the kidneys in addition to bone development. Sav-A-Chick with probiotics would be acceptable. Probios soluble powder carried at most feed stores is labeled for birds and contains no calcium.

I was going to suggest what I do if this happens. Turn the feed into a gruel, more warm water than feed and just dip the tip of a teaspoon into some molasses and use that to stir it up. I have done this for 3 days with no ill affects and it seemed to work with getting things moving. You want the 'moving effect, not the laxative and the sweet taste of the molasses ensures they will eat this right up.

 

[speedyfuzzball]

Thanks everyone, she seems to be plucking out her own fluff faster than the real feathers are coming in so she has some bald patches do you think that has anything to do with her poop problem?

Sigh.. She's still hanging in there.. I don't know what's causing just her this problem.. The other two are fine

 

[Michael Apple]

Thanks everyone, she seems to be plucking out her own fluff faster than the real feathers are coming in so she has some bald patches

do you think that has anything to do with her poop problem?

Sigh.. She's still hanging in there.. I don't know what's causing just her this problem.. The other two are fine

An irritated part of the body becomes a self plucked area of the body. Just keep an eye on it. The feathers will come back in as the irritation becomes less. If obsessive picking starts again, I've used products like Pick-No-More lotion. I dab some on the tips of feather chutes. It has a spicy pepper taste birds don't like. The vitamins-electrolytes in the water 2-3 days a week and nutrition from the starter/grower feed will help the feathers come in.

 

[speedyfuzzball]

Update on Tracie.. She passed two normal poops last night (without any straining or squeaking) and I was excited things may be looking better but the one after that took a bit more pushing. Today it looks like it's back to what it used to be, lots of straining as squeaking with vent protruding, I'm scared its going to start bleeding the probios should be here tomorrow so I'm hoping that clears things up. She's eating and drinking fine though but I'm still worried about her

 

[Michael Apple]

Now that the stools are normal, it may take a few days for the pain to subside. If the vent is irritated and swollen, the muscles which control the cloaca hesitate because it is painful. I'm not saying this is the case with your chick, but sometimes there are genetic deformities of the cloaca, vent or deeper within. I had a Gold Sex Link with a deformed cloaca and had to be vigilant about keeping her clean. She was a good layer and a gentle bird so the extra attention was worth it. Commercial poultry in those situations are culled.

Make sure the chick is in a warm environment but not too hot either. Being chilled or too hot can cause constipation/diarrhea as well. A chick two weeks old should be comfortable between 85-90 degrees.

 

[speedyfuzzball]

Stools are not completely back to normal but she passes a few normal ones once in a while.. Do you know why it'd be going back and forth like that? The feathers around her vent have started to grow back. I hope it's not a genetic deformity i don't want her to be afraid and in pain her whole life whenever she has to go to the bathroom. If she can't pass stool with ease, I don't think she'll have a chance with eggs :/ I'm really hoping little Tracie gets better, I want her to be happy. The box is at 89 degrees right now and they seem comfortable. I just made a cover for them bc they've learned how to fly out!